F1 preview: A lap of the Miami Grand Prix
Christian Horner has called out Ferrari and Mercedes lack of pace after Red Bull secured another one-two finish in Miami. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez cruised out front on Sunday with Red Bull maintaining their 100 per cent win record.
Nearest rival Fernando Alonso was over 20 seconds behind while George Russell’s Mercedes and Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari were only P4 and P5. After the race, Horner admitted the team were confused by the lack of performance shown by their competitors.
He said: “Five races, five wins, plus the spirit, four one-two finishes, We’ve never ever had a start like this and we’re kind of wondering where are the others.
“We’ve made a normal step over the winter and it’s more where did Ferrari and Mercedes go? They are working hard on I’m sure big upgrades for Europe.”
Despite their early season advantage, Horner has refused to get carried away as he warned Red Bull still had the effects of their budget cap penalty to come. The team were slapped with a 10 per cent wind tunnel reduction after they were found guilty of breaching F1’s budget cap rules.
The sanction is likely to affect the team’s ability to develop their car mid-season which could be a major blow. But, Horner still feels the squad can work around the problem in a bid to stay one step ahead of their rivals.
He explained: “With the penalty we have to develop the car later in the year it’s important for us to get as much fresh air as we can between us and the opposition at this stage.”
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